Make Liberalism Great Again

originally posted by: LesMisanthrope
On the one hand the progressives, motivated by the dogma of 'to progress', aim to drag us to some unspecified and unknowable end, and will use whatever means necessary to get there. On the other hand the conservatives, motivated by the dogma 'to conserve', offer nothing more than a counterweight to the incessant haul, and thus, like an old dog, are eventually dragged in a direction of the progressive’s choosing.

Libertarianism is the word. Note that it should be spelled lowercase (libertarianism), as once capitalized it denotes a GROUP. Then tribalism kicks in and over a long enough timeline it may just end up being a Supremacist Movement just like the "Liberals" have become.

S&F......I think Alex Jones has the correct definition of Liberals. Thank God we have a spokesperson worthy of true conservationism.

a reply to: LesMisanthrope

Huh, ok then.

Politically, racially and socially the United States of America are in union, I've come to the conclusion that the US is united on policies regarding pretty much everything, including social welfare and healthcare, immigration, policing, foreign policy etc etc.

All this "divide" is in my head.

Pull the other one fella.

I live in a country with a multi-party system. My principles are liberal.

I didn't say you weren't liberal, even an idiot like me knows the US runs on a two-party system third parties don't stand a chance. I've only ever seen you towing the line for one side, you're quite consistent at it too.

Unless of course you're being disingenuous... Or it's all in my head.

Liberals today are on the side of socialism. It gets confusing. I say let them have it and stick to libertarian.

Or we could drop the isms all together and say we're Americans.

originally posted by: 3NL1GHT3N3D1
Or we could drop the isms all together and say we're Americans.

If you could break that down philosophically....

originally posted by: LesMisanthrope

There is a far better ideal. Liberty, the liberalization of the individual from collective tyranny, remains that elusive and unfulfilled goal of the Enlightenment. Perhaps it is unattainable altogether. But the very process of seeking its attainment would further unshackle the individual from the litany of tyrannies he still faces, and faces daily.

This is liberalism.

I know, I know: “liberalism is a mental disease”. So barks the Right.

You've hit the sweet spot for me. I had been a "liberal" my entire life, the product of a 'liberal arts' education and the times. And several years ago I found myself expressing 'conservative views' as my 'liberal comrades' deserted what I thought was our consensus into a world that demanded allegiance to their views--or else. To say I felt stranded is an understatement. Suddenly I was expected to spout what I considered extremist views or I was labeled everything from a 'homophobe' to a Right Wing Kook.

I reject all that, but I can't say it's a fun time to be alive.

a reply to: schuyler

Communication is key, extremism exists on all sides of the political spectrum.

Extremism is rife in the modern world, people don't like middle grounds any more. Whether it's in the tug of war that is politics, how we socialise to how we work.

Push it, push it real good?

We live in a world where the vocal minority hold huge sway, moderates don't speak loudly enough and the news only wants us to see and hear extremism.

It's all propaganda.

Drink the refreshments, they come in many flavours. Just don't mix your drinks. You shouldn't share drinks either, insist on others drinking the same as you though.

You know it's the only drink in town.

a reply to: LesMisanthrope

Truly a well written OP.

But I don't know if the premise is correct that the term liberal is rooted as a derivative of liberty.

I was taught (way back in college) that it first originated as liberal use of government, compared to conservative use of government.

a reply to: LesMisanthrope

Liberalism and Conservatism have the same meaning in the United States. Liberalism is the ideas from the American Revolution which is the same as the ideology of conservatism, which is about conserving the ideas from the American Revolution. Leftists are not liberals like the claim to be, they are really socialists big government. They may once be liberals but how can you call them liberals when they are the party that brought slavery, the trail of tears, eugenics, segregation, jim crow, and socialism of 20s which was copied from the rise of Stalinism and Nazism type socialism that was really popular in the 20s. There are some of them on the right too. But the left are really big government socialists. Socialism is the opposite from liberalism. Freedom requires limited government. Socialism requires large government control. They might hide behind the banner of Liberalism but nothing about them is really liberals. They think that open borders is really liberal, but that is the same adopted ideology of International Socialism which is idea from the USSR. The first progressives were really the abolitionist which are Republicans, then the 2nd wave was Republicans in the civil rights movement, then the third wave progressives are really Democrats who are really extremist and crazy version of progressivism. More like regressive.

a reply to: LesMisanthrope

"Liberal" has been co-opted and abused.

Same with things like "Patriot" in the Patriot Act.

I want to take back the word, the title, the "label".

a reply to: Konduit

This is incorrect. The Nazi's and fascism are cousins of Socialism. All the leaders are former Socialist. Infact, Mousilinni operated the most popular Socialist newspaper in Italy before he came to power. The NAZI 25 planks sound like something from the Democrat party. The left is really good are relabelling themselves. They are masterful at social control.

a reply to: IgnoranceIsntBlisss

Stop seeing each other as different teams, put your foam fingers down and recognize the similarities over the differences.

a reply to: amfirst1

Remember, Hitler was a failed liberal arts student who self-identified as a socialist and hated the upper class... sound familiar?

That's the strange thing about Nazism ie. National Socialism. It has been labeled as a right-wing ideology despite it's obviously socialist attitudes towards complete gun control, wealth redistribution, the government seizing the means of production and the right of the state being heralded over the right of the individual. The 1930's Nazi revolution was nothing less than a social justice movement.


TFW the left finally realizes Islam is the most radical right-wing ideology on the planet.

originally posted by: 3NL1GHT3N3D1
Or we could drop the isms all together and say we're Americans.

Or not. We’re speaking of political views, not nationality.

a reply to: LesMisanthrope

I know, political views are obviously pretty divisive though. They're the reason our nation is so divided right now. Nation over partisanship.

a reply to: RAY1990

I’m saying I do not live in the US. I do not support any American party, and repudiate most of their politicians.

originally posted by: 3NL1GHT3N3D1
a reply to: LesMisanthrope

I know, political views are obviously pretty divisive though. They're the reason our nation is so divided right now. Nation over partisanship.

I agree about patriotism. But this is a worldwide issue.

a reply to: LesMisanthrope

I'd love to see you do the same thing with the term "communist".